This species of peacock spider was first recorded in 1874. Peacock spider (Maratus volans) is a species of jumping spider of the genus Maratus from the subfamily Euophryinae. For a long time these spiders were not given great attention so Australian scientist Juergen Otto made it his goal to study these fascinating arachnids.

photo: michael doe

Males of this species, like other jumping spiders of this genus, are known for their brightly colored bellies with orange, blue, and red markings. Brilliant coloring is not only for decoration, it is used by the spider to lure the female.

The female peacock spider has the same size as the male, but she is completely deprived of the bright colors that have attracted the public to the males so much. It is usually grayish brown in color.

The peacock spider is famous for its mating dance. During it, he stands upright, raises two rounded, most brightly colored flaps that are located on both sides of his stomach and demonstrates his superiority with all his might.


photo:Jurgen Otto

To get the attention of a female peacock spider starts to vibrate his belly and moves from side to side. In addition, it raises a third pair of legs, which have black-colored bristles with white tips, and begins its amazing dance.

It was the striking appearance and fascinating mating ritual that brought such fame to the peacock spider and the entire genus Maratus. After mating, the peacock spider goes in search of the next partner, before whom it again performs its marriage ceremony.

These are very tiny creatures - only four to five millimeters in length. The peacock spider is endemic to Australia. He likes to hide in the thickets, so it is difficult to see him. This spider has excellent vision, it can detect prey at a distance of 20 centimeters. The peacock spider feeds on small insects and is diurnal.

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On the same street On the same street there are 4 houses in a row, in which 4 people live: Bogdanov, Donnikov, Alekseev and Kharitonov. It is known that each of them owns exactly one of the following professions: doctor, teacher, locksmith and hairdresser, but it is not known who lives in which house. However, there is reliable information that: 1) the doctor lives across the house from the locksmith; 2) the teacher lives to the left of the doctor; 3) the hairdresser lives to the right of the doctor; 4) the teacher does not live next to the locksmith; 5) Kharitonov is not a doctor; 6) Bogdanov lives next to the hairdresser; 7) Donnikov lives to the right of the doctor; 8) Alekseev lives next to the teacher. Find out who owns what profession and who lives where. Write your answer in the order of the houses from left to right.


Solution: From facts 2 and 3, we can write down the following relative location of houses according to the professions of their owners: teacher, doctor, hairdresser. Since the doctor lives across the house from the locksmith (see fact 1) and the teacher does not live next to the locksmith (fact 4), then the scheme of residence of all four people is as follows: teacher doctor hairdresser locksmith


Solution: Now we define the professions of each. Since Alekseev lives next to the teacher (fact 8), he is a doctor. Then Bogdanov, who, like the doctor Alekseev, also lives next to the hairdresser (fact 6) is a locksmith. Let's write this down in a table (it is convenient to arrange the professions of house owners in the found order): TeacherDoctorHairdresserLocksmith AlekseevBogdanov Since Donnikov lives to the right of the doctor (fact 7), his profession is a hairdresser. It remains that Kharitonov is a teacher. The whole desired scheme has the form: TeacherDoctorHairdresserLocksmith KharitonovAlekseevDonnikovBogdanov


Get from 5 49 It is required to write a program for obtaining from number 5 of number 49 for the Doubler executor, whose command system includes two commands: 1. Add Multiply by 2. By executing the first of them, the Doubler adds 1 to the number on the screen, and by executing the second it multiplies it by 2. Answer: The shortest solution (instruction numbers in the program):


Five friends Four friends were sitting on a bench near the house: Anton, Boris, Victor, Georgy and Dmitry. It is known that: 1) Victor sits to the right of Anton; 2) Dmitry is sitting to the left of Boris; 3) Boris is sitting next to Victor; 4) George is sitting next to Victor; 5) Anton and Boris are not sitting next to each other; 6) Dmitry is sitting on the edge of the bench. Find out in what order the guys sat.


Solution: From facts 2 and 5 it follows that Dmitry is on the far left. An analysis of facts 3 and 4 shows that there are two options for placing Victor, Boris and Georgy (from left to right): 1) Boris, Victor, Georgy; 2) George, Victor, Boris. At the same time, Anton sits to the left of the three listed guys (see fact 1). But since Anton and Boris are not sitting next to each other (fact 5), the first option is not suitable. The answer is the following placement of friends: Dmitry, Anton, George, Victor, Boris.


Three students Classroom teacher complained to the principal of the school that he had a company of three students in his class, one of whom always tells the truth, the second always lies, and the third speaks every now and then a lie, then the truth. The director knows that their names are Sergey, Maxim and Kirill, but he does not know which of them is true and which is not. One day, all three were late for class. The director called everyone into his office and talked to the boys. Cyril said: “Maxim never lies. But from Sergei, on the contrary, you will never hear the truth. Maxim said: "Kirill told the truth about me." The director understood who was who. Can you do it?


Solution: Investigate possible options in relation to Cyril. 1. Assume that Cyril's first statement is true and the second is false. But then, from the falsity of the second statement, it follows that Sergei is a truthful person, like Maxim (Kirill's first statement), which cannot be (there is only one among the guys). 2. Let Cyril's first statement be false and the second one be true. In this case, it turns out that both Sergey and Maxim are liars, which also cannot be. 3. Let's assume that Cyril always tells the truth. But at the same time, he cannot say the same about Maxim. Hence, this option is also impossible. 4. It remains that Cyril always lies, and both of his statements are false. Then it turns out that Maxim is a liar or he is “different”. But Maxim can no longer be a liar, so the second case is suitable. It remains that Sergei is "truthful", which corresponds to the second statement of Kirill. So this option is possible. So, the answer is: Cyril always lies, Sergei is “true”, and Maxim speaks every now and then a lie, then the truth.


Tasks Five questions 1. What spider gave the name to the dance? 2. Coco Chanel liked to repeat: "Fashion passes." And what remains? 3. Which tennis player won the Wimbledon tournament at the age of 17? 4. What kind of fry aquarium fish in case of danger, they hide in the mouth of the "dad"? 5. What was the contents of the most expensive bottle of wine sold at auction? 1. The name of the spider (tarantula) is associated with the Italian folk dance tarantella. 2. The famous French fashion designer Coco Chanel said "Fashion passes, but style remains." 3. Age 17 Wimbledon tennis tournament won by Boris Becker (Germany). 17-year-old Wimbledon Junior Winner Patrick Cash. Martina Hingis, at the age of less than 16, became the winner of the doubles tournament. 4. In case of danger, fry of the “American cichlid” aquarium fish rush to the female and hide in her mouth (there are other names for such fish). 5. The most expensive bottle of wine ever sold at auction is a bottle of Chateau Cheval-Blanc (see en.wikipedia.org).

You may not like spiders, or suffer from arachnophobia, but this bewitching dance of the Australian peacock spider (Moratus Vilans) will not leave you indifferent.

The peacock spider (Maratus volans) despite its tiny size, the males of this species can be recognized by their bright iridescent coloration, which is dominated by red, green and blue hues.


The cephalothorax (cephalothorax) and legs of the peacock spider are usually dark brown or black with red stripes. The upper part of the abdomen is greenish, the stripes on it are bright red and blue.


Females and juveniles of both sexes are dull brown-gray in color.


Adult peacock spiders reach a length of no more than 4-5 mm. Representatives of Maratus volans can be found in the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales.


Male peacock spiders have two rounded shields on the sides of the abdomen, which are like folds of skin and, when folded, are closely pressed to the body.


All representatives of the jumping spider family have excellent eyesight and are able to spot prey at a distance of 20 cm. Meanwhile, the bright color of the peacock spider serves quite specific purposes. Why this spider got its name becomes clear during the mating season.

Seeing the female, the male peacock spider lifts his belly vertically upwards, spreads his shields and proudly displays them like a peacock's tail. To heighten the effect, he also raises the third pair of legs with black bristles and bright white ends. Then the male performs a passionate, bewitching dance in front of the female, vibrating with his legs and belly raised up. And, in the end, this courtship dance is a success.


After mating, the male switches to other females, showing off and performing the same dance in front of them. The courtship behavior of the male Maratus volans is in many ways similar to that of the European Saitis barbipes. The official Latin name for the peacock spider has changed several times. It was first called Attus volans, then Saitis volans, and more recently it was renamed Maratus volans.

Over a hundred years ago, Australian spiders were first studied and named by European arachnologists. Later, as a result of a deeper study, it was revealed that some of the spiders of Australia are fundamentally different from their European relatives. Therefore, the names of several species have been changed.


Maratus volans has received several common names: flying spider, gliding spider and (most preferred) peacock spider. And while the word "volans" (from Latin for "winged") suggests that the peacock spider is capable of flight, in fact, it has never been seen to use its abdominal scutes to increase the distance of its jumps. He needs this adaptation only during the courtship period in order to show off in front of the females, like a real peacock.


Someone is afraid of spiders, someone does not like them, but for sure no one remains indifferent to them.

One of the most unusual representatives of arachnids is the peacock spider, whose Latin name is Maratus Volans.

Peacock spider

Its bright coloration and unusual movements are reminiscent of a peacock bird. His main amazing feature is the marriage ceremony.

The peacock spider is about five millimeters in size.

female peacock spider

Despite such a tiny size, the male can be distinguished from the female due to the variegated iridescent color, which is dominated by red, blue and green.

Appearance

The cephalothorax or, more simply, the body and limbs of the spider are black or dark brown in color with bright red stripes.

The upper abdomen is greenish, with stripes of blue and orange. On the sides of the abdomen are rounded shields, which are tightly pressed to the body and resemble skin folds.

The photo of the peacock spider shows that the hind pairs of legs are much larger than the front ones. Thanks to them, the peacock spider can jump high.

The appearance of the spider Maratus Volans

The entire body, head and legs of the spider are covered with light fluff sticking out in different directions.

In the early young age males and females are practically indistinguishable from each other by gender, as they have the same color of an unremarkable brown-gray color.

With the onset of maturity, the abdomen of the male spider becomes variegated. It is he who straightens it, like a peacock fan, attracting females.

This spider, despite its small size, has excellent eyesight.

Peacock spider sizes

It detects prey at a distance of up to twenty centimeters. Due to good eyesight, males can quickly see the female.

Therefore, as soon as the spider sees it, it immediately begins to lift up its motley abdomen, straighten the shields on the sides and proudly demonstrate its bright color.

But she is not just an element of decoration, but also a way to survive. The spider pursues its prey like a predator. He rushes at her and destroys her.

Spider peacock jumping on its prey

Moreover, the victim can be several times over size peacock spider. Incredibly brave, he rushes at all insects crawling nearby. Dangerous for the enemy are the jaws of the spider, with which he breaks through chitin and injects poison.

When hunting a prey, a peacock spider can jump high with lightning speed and high thanks to strong legs. He can quickly catch up with prey, and in case of need or danger - run away and hide. If a flying target is in the field of view of an insect, then it will be able to catch it.

Life cycle and reproduction

The peacock spider is endemic to the Australian states of Queensland and New Wales, that is, it lives only on their territory.

It was studied by European arachnologists (scientists who study arachnids) over a hundred years ago. The courtship and dancing of this insect reminded them of the behavior of the European Saitis barbipes.

Spider Saitis barbipes

But in subsequent, deeper studies, it was found that Maratus volans is fundamentally different from it.

In the early 1990s, Polish zoologist Marek Žabka found evidence that, unlike the European spider, the Australian spider cannot fly. He has no wings at all, and a semblance of flight is obtained thanks to his muscular legs.

After mating has occurred, the female spider lays up to six to seven eggs. She carefully and carefully guards her masonry during the entire two-week period of their maturation.

The mating process of a peacock spider

All this time she does not eat anything at all, which exposes herself to mortal risk. After 14 days, small spiders appear.

The life of the insect lasts only one year. His body is constantly in a periodic demonstration of his stomach or rhythmic pulsation in order to scare away enemies or during the mating season.

Another feature of the peacock spider is that it does not weave its web, but hunts for prey like a wild predator.

mating dance

When a male spider meets a female, he raises his abdomen, which takes on an oval shape. After that, he lifts up the third pair of his legs, covered with black bristles.

Dance of the Peacock Spider

When the female comes very close to him, he begins to perform the mating ritual - an exotic and passionate dance.

He begins to shake his belly, move his legs and move dynamically from one side to the other. He quickly glides on the other six legs, while continuing to tremble with a round belly. His entire tiny body is in constant motion and obeys a rhythm known only to him.

This is a very bright and beautiful sight that has a bewitching effect on females. The main purpose of such an unusual ritual is to demonstrate all its beauty and splendor.

Peacock spider close up

If the female likes the dance, she will allow him to mate with her. But if the ritual does not hit the female, then she can eat the male.

A person can see the spectacle of the peacock spider mating dance only with the help of a macro lens of a camera with multiple magnification. This phenomenon is a vivid example of the amazing natural beauty which cannot be seen and observed with the naked eye.

Maratus volans bite danger for humans

Does this insect pose a danger to humans, is the peacock spider poisonous or not? The peacock spider is poisonous, like many other arachnids.

But it is not dangerous for people and animals. His jaws are so small size that they can't even pierce human skin.

Conclusion

A person is accustomed to the fact that spiders are extremely unpleasant and vile insects, and even dangerous and poisonous.

But not all of them have scary look and pose a danger.

There are even such spiders that surprise and amaze with their beauty and unusual behavior.

A striking proof of this is the dancing peacock spider.

Video: PEACOCK SPIDER - INTERESTING FACTS

). Local scientist Jurgen Otto (Jurgen Otto) and colleagues studied them for three years after the first meeting. Peacock spiders are largest family jumping horses (Salticidae), numbering more than 5000 species. Spiders from this family are usually small or even small, they lead a wandering lifestyle. They got their name for the ability to make very long (compared to body size) jumps. Males are usually slightly fewer females and more brightly colored. In addition, these spiders have eight eyes, the front pair of which is greatly enlarged, which creates a fairly recognizable "face". Their vision is excellent, one of the best among arthropods.

Peacock spiders are known for their mating dances. Like many other species of spiders, their females are larger than males and are not averse to having a snack with a gaping boyfriend. Therefore, the males have developed special dances that should show the female that this is not prey, but a mate, and also, apparently, kindle desire in her. The dances are very entertaining and consist of gestures with different pairs of paws (usually the third), shaking the abdomen and jerky movements from side to side. Nevertheless, the male is always on the alert, because a particularly hungry female may not wait for the end of the dance and, instead of amorous adventures, she will prefer to satisfy her hunger.

Peacock spiders, found only in the southern part of Australia, justify their name with the luxurious color of the abdomen, which they lift up and open like a peacock spreads its tail. They were first found and described in 1874 ( Maratus volans), and since then about 50 species have been discovered, seven of which have recently joined these ranks. There are a dozen more new species in the process of being described. According to Jurgen Otto, it was impossible to find money for research, so everyone who participated in the search and study of these spiders did so voluntarily and at their own expense. “There are always problems with funding when you deal with organisms that are not known or interesting to anyone,” the scientist complained. - There is a great temptation to name them after some famous person to draw attention to them. For example, recently one fly was named after Beyoncé. But I am always against such things. Let these animals become known for their own beauty, rather than for joining someone else's glory.

Jürgen Otto also took wonderful photographs of these spiders and wedding dance video. Definitely worth a visit to his Flickr photo hosting page, where you can marvel at the variety of these beautiful spiders and appreciate the elegance of their courtship. All photos in this post are taken from there.

In the photo - a male peacock spider Maratus caeruleus. Photo © Jurgen Otto.

Tigran Oganesov